What is the controversy surrounding #takeaknee

[TheBeardedDude]

But why is it considered disrespectful, don't people literally print us flag in underwear, shirts, brassiere etc

It isn't disrespectful. In fact, the initial protest that started it all last year by Colin Kapernick was intended to be a protest of police treatment of minorities where they took a knee instead of sitting explicitly because they thought taking a knee would be a respectful way of protesting (respectful to military personnel and what the flag stands for).

There are several reasons why it is perceived to be disrespectful by some, including:
1) some people just flat-out don't like to see minorities protesting police (even if they'd admit that they too don't like the heavy-handed policing that happens)
2) some people believe that police are something you don't protest. Somehow, in their mind, respecting police means never being critical of police nor calling out bad police and bad policing practices. If you want to get a sense of just how warped conservative "respect" for the police is in the US, look up the awful shit Joe Arpaio did as sheriff and then realize that they kept electing hm for basically 2 decades
3) many just flat-out never bothered to find out why Kap or the players this weekend protested and instead assumed that the conservative narrative that they were protesting the flag (and by extension, protesting America) was true, lies are rather effective on the ignorant who willfully remain ignorant instead of looking up the facts
4) a lot of people clearly don't realize that the rights we have in this country to protect our individual freedoms (such as freedom of speech and freedom of expression), also means protecting us from participating if we so choose. It isn't freedom if you are being compelled to participate. Meaning that the soldiers who fought for our rights were fighting so people would stand for the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem (in the mind of the conservative), when in reality the soldiers fought for our right to stand or kneel or sit or not come out of the locker room or etc etc.


It is one big misdirection. The Whitehouse (and conservative pundits in general for more than a year) paints this as a protest of the flag, when it is not and has never been a protest of the flag. It is/was a protest about police treatment of minorities, and this weekend it also became a protest of Trump